St. Rita sophomore guard Charles Matthews was right when he said every season has its peaks and valleys.
The Mustangs have experienced both while working to find consistency with a young core facing a top-flight schedule.

But most who witnessed host St. Rita's 79-57 white-washing of South Side rival Brother Rice on Tuesday night likely recognized the dominant effort — even the understated Matthews.

"You probably can rank that as one of the best. We did make a pretty big statement," Matthews said. "It's the end of the season, and we just want to get better from here on out."

The Mustangs had six players score in double figures, including Matthews, who scored 18 points.

They were a step faster than the No. 17 Crusaders (18-5, 7-3 Catholic League South) from the opening tip, which showed in both their 33-18 edge on the glass and the fact that they attempted 25 more field goals (61-36).